The advanced placement biology program can be implemented in a number of ways, depending on your school system. AP can be used in place of your normal biology class if your school offers it that way. The most common and realistic way of using AP biology, however, is using it like a Biology II course. That way, you have learned the basics of biology and can focus on some of the finer points of biology as opposed to a broad overview. You may be in a class that is exclusively AP, but you may also be mixed in with regular Biology II students, depending on the enrollment numbers at your school.
Taking an AP class does not guarantee you college placement in biology. The class is meant to prepare you for the comprehensive end-of-course exam. Your teacher's lesson plans will follow closely with the expected AP biology format so you are prepared for the final test.
The college you eventually attend will also have some hand in how your credit is issued. While nearly all colleges accept AP credit, it is important to check in with your desired schools to make sure. Additionally, some schools may offer you extra credit depending on how well you score. So if you barely pass, you may just get credit for Biology I in college. If you do well, some schools may offer you Biology II credit and possibly even lab credit.
AP biology is a more intense class than most high school courses. The course is designed to teach you 12 major topics, each with a major experiment to go along with the lesson. Your teacher will have less freedom to teach subjects of interest, since the primary focus will be on preparing you for the test. So if your area of biological interest falls outside the scope of the AP test, you may be out of luck. A large part of AP biology will also be hands-on learning through the major experiments. Your teacher should seek to make you self-sufficient as a scientist so you can conduct your own investigations.
Twelve major experiments are required in AP biology. Lab 1 is observing diffusion and osmosis. Lab 2 focuses on enzyme catalysis. Lab 3 will have you analyzing mitosis and extracting DNA. Lab 4 studies photosynthesis and plant pigment chromatography. Lab 5 examines cellular respiration in mitochondria. Lab 6 focuses on molecular biology. You will likely conduct a recombinant DNA experiment, usually transforming bacteria with jellyfish DNA to make them glow. Also, you should conduct some form of electrophoresis, which is the technology used to create DNA fingerprints.
Lab 7 is studying drosophila genetics, in which you will be observing and mating small fruit flies. Lab 8 deals with evolution. Lab 9 involves the principles of transpiration, which studies how water travels through plants. Lab 10 is the physiology of your circulatory system. Often you run tests on classmates and study the model organism daphnia magna, which is translucent so you can see the heart under the microscope. Lab 11 deals with animal behavior studies, and Lab 12 studies the effects of dissolved oxygen on fish.
The test is in two sections. The first section consists of 120 multiple-choice questions. You have 90 minutes to complete it. Section 1 counts for 60 percent of your final grade. Section 2 consists of four short answer/essay-type questions. Each is worth 10 percent of your final grade. You will have 90 minutes to complete Section 2. The test is meant to be difficult; the AP institute expects the average score to be 50 percent. Online and print study aids can complement your class studies.